


Take My Life, Steal My Heart

by TheManicWriter



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Blood and Gore, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Graphic Description, Humor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Life-absorbing powers, Mutant Powers, OFC has no filter, Sexual Humor, Slow Burn, Smut, Swearing, Torture, Violence, a lot of swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManicWriter/pseuds/TheManicWriter
Summary: With a face that exudes innocence, a body that can turn any head, a mouth that has no filter, and powers that can steal the very essence of life from any living thing, Eve is certainly an interesting character. She wants nothing to do with the superhero lifestyle, but somehow gets corralled into staying at the Avengers Tower. There, she forms interesting relationships with the avenger family, especially with a certain metal-armed and emotionally broken super soldier.Her powers would seem to be the perfect addition to the Avengers team, but she simply can't afford the price of her using her powers to their full extent. Not even Fury wants to take that risk.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), Natasha Romanov (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Nick Fury/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Tony Stark/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 90





	1. From a Cabin to a Tower

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Since finals are done, I thought I'd start a second story on here! In addition to this one, I will also continue adding to my first fanfic, The Memories We Choose to Keep (it's also a Bucky/OFC). Any comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, I will not be adding warning tags to each chapter in this fic like I do in the other one. I covered all the warnings in the general tags for this story, but if a new one comes into the story, I will add it with the others. I do use pretty graphic details sometimes, so please, if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable, be wary reading.

Eve was never one to believe in luck. Everything she has in life came to her from her hard work and borderline thick-headed determination. However, as she finally hobbled over to a vacant Hydra truck only to see that the keys were not in the ignition, or anywhere nearby, she couldn’t help but consider she had bad luck.

“Fuck me,” She muttered, adjusting her weight on the empty rifle she was using as a make-shift cane. Throwing open the surprisingly heavy door, she leaned over and popped open the panel under the steering wheel. The movement caused a sharp pain to shoot up from her injured ankle as her foot was twisted at a 90 degree angle. The constant thrumming that made her body hum reminded her of the extra life she absorbed, and it begged her to use it to heal her broken ankle. She consciously pushed those urges down, opting to fix the injury when she had a moment of safety to properly set the bones back into place.

Until then, she would deal with the pain. She set to task, stripping a few wires with her teeth, hoping that she still remembered the correct ones to cross. Reinforcements should be here soon and she didn’t have the energy to take down more agents. _Why is this so much easier in the movies?_ She bitterly thought, sweat now dripping off of her forehead. She paused when she heard a muffled crunch behind her.

She pretended to keep fiddling with the wires while her right hand snaked down to her waist where she had tucked a handgun that still had rounds in it. Whipping around, careful to only pivot on her good foot, she aimed the gun on the first person she saw.

“Hey,” He said, holding up his palms to me, “It’s okay. We’re the good guys.”

_Captain fucking America?_ With her finger still on the trigger, her eyes drifted to the man beside him in black tactical gear with a bow in his hand. To the other side, she felt a bit of relief seeing a familiar face.

“Widow?” She asked, a small smile on her face.

She crossed her arms, mirroring the same smile, “Reaper. Always a pleasure.”

Eve huffed out a laugh, finally lowering the gun and shifting her gaze to the Captain.

“You guys come here often or…?”

He looked a little confused or embarrassed as he shifted his stance, “Actually, we’re here to…rescue you.”

She looked around at the ground surrounding them, littered with the bodies of Hydra agents. She had been captured – yanked from her small, humble cabin in the woods – and had woken up in the depths of the facility standing to the side of them. Either Hydra had no clue the extent of her powers or naively thought they could contain it. She was pissed when she woke up, her first thought was of her precious fern plant that she had managed to keep alive for a record 3 months. It was certainly going to die before she could get back.

Previously, she hadn’t used her ability for almost over a year and she planned on keeping that up, living as normally as she could manage. However, the turn of events dashed that hope. She quickly absorbed the entire lifeforce from the guard outside of her cell, garnering enough power to break the old lock loose and set about draining every ounce of life in the entire compound. Overwhelmed with the amount of people, she quickly changed her tactic to stealing weapons – guns, knives, grenades – and using the extra life in her to heal otherwise fatal wounds. She settled for draining those who thought they could hide from her behind locked and barricaded doors.

This resulted in the countless, lifeless bodies that adorned the ground around them. Thankfully, she found her trusty black backpack with its contents undisturbed while searching for weapons, which now rested on her back with a familiar weight.

She met the Captain’s eyes again, “Well…it’s the thought that counts.”

The man beside him tried to hide the smile on his face, looking away from the group.

“It won’t be long before more arrive,” Widow said, approaching me carefully, “You need to come with us.”

She sighed and opened her mouth to protest but Widow pointed to her screwed-up foot. Her mouth closed while her eyes studied the two men.

“Fine,” She grunted, more pain was seeping in as the adrenaline was waning, “Fury owes me a new cabin anyways.”

Captain’s eyebrows perked up at the mention of Fury’s name. Eve tried to hobble forward, Natasha throwing the girl’s arm around her shoulder to support her. He shook his head and took two strides forward, easily picking her up bridal-style.

“Hey!” Eve protested, her hands clamoring to grip his shoulders, “I can – oh, you smell nice. Carry on.”

She then made herself comfortable in his large arms. He smelled manly and crisp, she decided. It was comforting in a way.

“Were you expecting me to stink?” Steve couldn’t help but be a bit amused, glancing down at her as they made their way to the quinjet.

Eve never had a firm grasp on the filter that words went through before they come out of a person’s mouth. The filter that weeded out inappropriate, dumb, or nonsensical things.

“Kinda expected you to smell like toothpaste…you know, the red, white, and blue swirl kind,” The words left her mouth before she could think.

Steve’s chest rumbled with a chuckle and Eve’s cheek slightly tinted pink. She might have felt a bit more embarrassed if she had not been teetering on utter exhaustion. _I could just blame it on being tired._

“I see you haven’t changed much,” Natasha shook her head as they all entered the jet.

_I guess I can’t blame it on being tired._

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” She shot back with a smile.

Steve gingerly laid Eve down on a stretcher and she winced when her ankle hit the white sheets.

“As a spy, it’s a terrible thing,” She teased back, sitting down at the controls.

“Fuck,” Eve muttered as she sat up, rolling her neck and examining her shattered ankle, “Good thing I’m not a spy.”

“Then what are you,” The other man spoke up from the other seat in the cockpit, “If you don’t mind me asking. I’m Clint by the way.” She shot him a polite smile before focusing back on her ankle.

“Well, Clint,” She breathed out. With shaky hands she counted backwards from three and snapped her foot back into place, “I’m just a small town girl,” She grunted out through clenched teeth as she massaged the bits of bone back into place as best as she could, “Living in a lonely world.”

“Uh, huh. And what do you do when you aren’t quoting Journey lyrics?” Clint asked, eyes fixated on the control panel. She looked over at where the Captain sat, his eyes wide in horror at what she was doing to her foot.

“I have, well had – can’t really go back if Hydra knows where it is – a cabin,” She sighed, laying back down, “I’d just do boring things. Read, write, swim in the lake, go into town for supplies, hike the trails, do chores.”

“Sounds like a good life,” Steve muttered as he met her eyes, she gave him a small smile.

“If that’s all the questions you guys have for now, I’ll heal my leg. I’m pretty sure I’ll pass out for a bit afterwards though,” She faced the ceiling of the jet.

“Go ahead,” Natasha spoke up, “We should be back in a few hours.”

Eve nodded, “Don’t draw any dicks on my face while I’m out,” she muttered, pointing her words at the Widow who smiled at a certain memory.

With that being said, Eve focused her energy on activating the extra life spiraling around within her body, pushing it towards her wound. Her teeth gnashed together at the god-awful feeling of her bones snapping into place. She tightened her lips, barely containing a scream as pain enveloped her leg. Then, the pain stopped, everything stopped, and her mind fell into darkness.

“Did you really draw a dick on her face before?” Clint shot a knowing look to his co-pilot.

Nat shrugged innocently, but the ghost of a smirk on her face answered his question.

…

Eve’s eyes blinked open slowly and she put a hand up to her face, rubbing her eyes to try to shake off the fog in her mind.

“You awake?” A concerned voice made it to her ears.

Her hand fell from her face as her eyes tracked the source of the voice. Her gaze settled on a handsome, chiseled face with bright blue eyes. _Fuck. What did I get myself into this time?_ Memories of Hydra and her “rescue” slowly creeped back into her mind. With a grunt of effort, she sat up on the stretcher, gingerly flexing her foot.

“All healed,” She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, “We there yet?” She asked Steve, who was standing beside her.

“Almost,” He replied, “You need lay back down. I checked you over when you were out. You’re exhausted and dehydrated.”

Eve tilted her head and crossed her arms at the Captain with a playful look in her eyes, “All I heard was that you checked me out. And while I’m not complaining, it is a little creepy that you did it when I was unconscious.”

He gave her a disapproving, stern look, but he couldn’t mask the tint of pink creeping over his cheeks, “That is not what I meant.”

“God, it’s like a female version of Tony,” Eve heard Clint mutter from his seat.

Natasha chuckled, “No she’s worse.”

“I can hear you,” Eve huffed, earning a short smile from Steve.

“By the way, it’s a little late for introductions but I’m Steve. Steve Rogers,” He held out his hand to Eve who looked at it with subtle surprise.

She gingerly took it, concentrating hard on suppressing her powers, “Hi, Steve. I guess Fury’s still calling me Reaper, huh?”

He nodded, “There was no other name in the file.”

“Part of our agreement,” Eve mused, dangling her legs over the side of the stretcher, “My name is Eve.”

Steve was intrigued by her mention of an agreement but decided not to pursue it for now.

“Eve,” Natasha smiled from her chair as she focused on landing the jet, “I like that better than Reaper. My name is Natasha or Nat.”

Eve couldn’t help the big smile that came over her face. In the past, they had only ever referred to each other by their code names. Finally knowing her name made Eve feel even closer to – what she supposed was – her closest friend.

The stretcher shook as the quinjet touched down on the ground. Steve automatically placed a hand on Eve’s shoulder, balancing her. She slipped off the stretcher and cautiously tried to take a few steps under his watchful eye. When everything felt normal, aside from the near exhaustion, she smiled and straightened her back. The heavy door opened and the four travelled down the ramp.

“Welcome to the Avenger’s Tower,” Clint dramatically waved a hand around while leading them all inside.

Eve tightened her grip on her backpack straps as she was led through long hallways, only partially focusing on the things Steve was telling her about the tower. When they entered into a large meeting room, a group was waiting for them.

“So…wait,” A slightly older man with a light on his chest shining through his shirt spoke up first, “This,” He gestured at Eve, “is the Reaper?”

“No, I was just hitchhiking in the area,” Eve’s nerves made the already inefficient filter almost nonexistent. After a moment of looking at him, she deduced that this was Ironman or Tony Starks.

Tony looked at her almost startled. Eve’s appearance certainly didn’t fit the name of Reaper. She was small, young, and had a very misleading innocent face. Her large green eyes and long brown hair that she often wore in a high ponytail paired with her subtle dimples and soft lips that had a bit of a natural pout, all screamed normal, nice, innocent girl. That’s not to say she had a child’s body though. She was 21 after all and puberty had hit her hard, giving her ample breasts and ass. Her daily routine of working out – mainly to vent frustration or to distract her mind from unpleasant memories – gave her a toned stomach and legs.

Eve cleared her throat at the sudden silence in the room, “Yes. I’m the Reaper. But my name is Eve.”

Everyone in the room took turns greeting her and introducing themselves. She met Sam, Wanda, Bruce, and Tony – once he shook himself out of his shock. She looked around the room for a sign of Fury, expecting to have a very long conversation with him about how exactly Hydra found her supposedly classified location.

Nat seemingly read her thoughts, “Fury should be here by tomorrow morning. He said he had something to wrap up before coming here.”

Eve frowned at the news, “I guess I’m getting a hotel room?”

Tony cleared his throat, “That won’t be necessary. We’ll put you in an empty apartment here at the tower.”

Natasha looped her arm through Eve’s, “You can go into the one by me.”

“Actually, she’ll have to go into the empty one on the geriatric floor. That’s the only one with furniture in it,” Tony then directed his attention back to Eve, “Something tells me you’d want a bed to sleep in….and a shower, because – no offense – you look like death.”

Eve took it in stride and tilted her head at him, “Well, that’s kinda my thing so…thank you.”

She did glance down at herself, already knowing she looked rough. The simple black leggings she wore were riddled with bullet holes, tears, and dried blood stains. Her top faired no better. A once light gray T-shirt with a mountain graphic on it was now several shades darker from grime, sweat, and blood. Her high bun was no longer high and was barely holding onto it’s bun shape with majority of the strands having escaped.

“So you really can absorb life from organisms?” Bruce spoke up, scanning her like she was a riddle he needed to figure out, “How does that work?”

Eve shook her head. It was a question she had been asked several times over her lifetime and a question many brilliant and dubious people have sought to figure out.

“No clue. I was born with it…or at least a form of it.”

She wasn’t purposely trying to be vague, but she also didn’t want to get into an hour long discussion when her legs were starting to feel wobbly and the ache in her muscles was steadily setting in. Natasha, being the intuitive woman she is, must have picked up on this.

“Let’s get her settled in first before pelting her with questions,” She said, leading her out of the room with her arm still locked in Eve’s. She smiled gratefully at her and noticed Steve following them down the hall to the elevator.

“So Tony mentioned that I was going to stay on the geriatric floor?” Eve questioned, throwing a sideways glance at Nat as she hit a button in the elevator.

Steve spoke up from the other side of Eve, “Yeah,” He sighed, “It’s the floor where Bucky and I live on.”

“Bucky?”

Steve looked at her, “James Barnes.”

“The Winter Soldier,” Nat whispered to Eve and Steve shot her a glare, which she happily returned.

Realization slowly hit Eve as to who they were talking about. She remembered first learning about him through the grapevine in Hydra. The older girls always talked about how hot he was – out of listening distance from the handlers of course – but Eve had never seen him or had many thoughts about him. It wasn’t until Fury sent her the information about him that she really knew about him. He had insisted on keeping her somewhat updated in the world of the Avengers for some reason. She rarely read the updates, but his caught her eye since she technically already knew about his existence.

Eve shrugged in an attempt to show Steve it didn’t bother her. But then she realized why Tony called it the geriatric floor and couldn’t hold back her laughter, much to the dismay of Steve and to the delight of Nat.

“So, how did you end up on Fury’s radar, Eve?” Steve said, changing the subject as they walked out of the elevator.

Eve breathed out a laugh, “How does anyone get on his radar? I used my powers as discreetly as I could, but not much gets past him unfortunately.”

Nat stopped her in front of a door in the hallway and punched in a code to unlock it. She pushed open the door and lead her inside the apartment. Eve detached herself from Nat in order to look around. There was a small kitchen, a spacious living room, a hall bathroom, a large bedroom with a bathroom attached, and a small laundry room. The floor plan was very open; the living room and kitchen had no walls between them. It was probably 5x bigger than her cabin and the amount of space bothered her, but she figured that since she shouldn’t be staying here long, it wouldn’t matter.

“Nice,” She simply stated and looked over to Nat, “But I’ll need some clothes.”

She was already nodding, “I’ll go grab some of mine for tonight. I’ll be right back.”

She then slipped out of the apartment leaving only Eve and an awkward looking Steve standing in the living room. Eve plopped herself down on the couch and proceeded to dump out the contents of her backpack on the coffee table. Steve looked on curiously before sitting on the other end of the couch to watch. She quickly sorted through the various things she packed: black electrical tape, a pouch containing three knives, a hand-held knife sharpener, a mini blue flashlight, a worn notebook and pencil, a simple black wallet, a small metal water can, a hairbrush, stick of deodorant, a lock-pick kit, two protein bars which were crumbled in their packaging, and lastly, but most importantly, a small plastic toy figure of a calico cat.

Almost methodically, she organized the contents on the glass tabletop, checking and rechecking that she had everything.

“What’s that?” Steve pointed to the cat, which was placed in the center of the others.

“Her name is Kitkat,” Eve said, recounting everything for the last time.

Steve sighed, “Okay, but why do you have it?”

Eve turned to him, looking slightly offended, “It? Excuse you. I don’t go around disrespecting your oversized metal frisbee.”

Steve fought to hide a smile, trying to act as equally offended, “Why do you have…Kitkat?”

Eve turned back, pleased with his correction, and started to put everything back into place in the bag except the hairbrush and deodorant, “A friend gave her to me.”

Steve nodded, still slightly curious about it. He inhaled, knowing that he should probably warn her about Bucky’s night antics, especially since she’s staying in the apartment right next to his.

“Just so you know,” He started and Eve almost immediately picked up on his shift in attitude, “Bucky’s apartment is right on the other side of that wall, “He pointed to the left wall of the apartment, “At night…sometimes he gets nightmares. He can get a little loud, but there’s nothing to worry about. It’s best to…stay away from him if he’s…”

Eve cut him off with a wave of her hand, “It’s okay. I can sleep through just about anything.”

Involuntarily, Eve wondered if he had the same nightmares that she did about Hydra. She quickly shook that thought from her mind. As far as Hydra goes, she was pretty sure they were from two separate worlds. He was their golden boy, she was their burden.

“Here we go,” Nat said walking in with a bag full of clothes and toiletries, “By the way, your pin for your door is 1933, but Friday should let you in automatically.”

Eve thanked her, taking the bag from her and cast a goodbye to both of them before they left. She sighed once the door was closed and the apartment grew silent. It hit her that she was really staying the night in a superhero hotel of sorts. _Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any weirder._ With that thought, she hit the large and fancy shower in her room, diligently washing away the grime and sweat from the day’s events. She was pleased when the shampoo Nat brought her smelled like orchids.

She stepped out of the shower and toweled off, taking the time to sop the water from her hair before letting it air dry the rest of the way. Back in the bedroom, she pulled on the panties and sports bra she was provided. She was thankful that sport bras were more forgiving since her bra size was probably twice the size of Nat’s. She then threw on a blue v-neck t-shirt and pulled on a pair of black cotton shorts.

She busied herself by brushing out and then braiding her damp hair, brushing her teeth with the new toothbrush that was in the bathroom, and fixing herself a sandwich from the stocked kitchen and fridge. Finally, she grabbed the black electrical tape from her bag and stood up on the bed. The mattress was surprisingly soft so it took a bit for her to maintain her balance as she braced herself on the wall above the headboard. _It’s like a damn cloud._

She set to work with the tape, tearing off pieces with her teeth to form a number sign (#) on the wall space above the headboard. She was working on the last two numbers when there was a knock at her apartment door.

“Come in,” She yelled with the tape in between her teeth.

She heard the door open and Steve called out.

“In here,” She responded. She had left the door to her bedroom open and she soon heard two sets of footsteps enter the room and approach the bed. Her attention was still on the last number.

“Uh, whatcha doing?” Steve asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Eve replied, putting the last piece of tape down before turning to Steve and who she suspected was Nat.

She was wrong. Her eyes locked onto piercing blue eyes. It was James Barnes, or Bucky as Steve calls him. She recognized him from the pictures Fury had included in the report, but damn. He stood slightly behind Steve, his arms crossed and weight shifted to the side. He looked uncomfortable and slightly antsy. He wore a pair of blue joggers and a gray hoodie with the strings frayed at the ends. His long brown hair was pulled back, but a few tendrils had come loose and were framing his face. _Holy hell, he is hot._

His eyes shifted away from hers and towards Steve. Steve was growing uncomfortable in the silence as well. Eve noticed both of their reactions and a horrifying thought popped into her mind.

Her eyes grew wide, “Did I say that out loud?”

Steve raised an eyebrow, “Say what out loud?”

She immediately sighed in relief, miraculously catching herself before she stupidly repeated what she thought in her head. Bucky seemed to perk up at this, a slight curiosity filling his eyes.

“Anyways,” Steve cleared his throat and gestured to his friend, “This is James Barnes. Your neighbor. Bucky, this is Eve, the girl I was telling you about.”

She smiled at him, “Hi. If he mentioned the toothpaste thing, he is a liar and it never happened.”

A smile suddenly lit up his face as he arched an eyebrow at Steve who was fighting a smile himself.

“Call me Bucky,” He said, his eyes returning to hers.

“I thought you’d be taller,” She mused as she looked down at him, tilting her head.

“You’re standing on a bed,” Steve said pointedly and smirked.

Eve pursed her lips and climbed down off of the bed, standing before Bucky and realizing that he towered over her just like Steve did. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. _Are there no short superheroes?_

“What does 1967453 mean?” Steve asked, looking at her tape on the wall.

She followed his gaze, “My ID number. It was over my bed for majority of my life. It…seems a bit dumb, but I can’t sleep without it.”

“Hydra?” Bucky said, his voice noticeably rougher.

She glanced at him and nodded, “The Academy. It’s where I first learned of you…or the Winter Soldier, I guess. I don’t think you ever visited when I was there. We were shown a presentation of you once. I think it was to motivate us or something. For weeks afterwards it was all the older girls could talk about. All our handlers were gross looking men and you were hot as hell…”

Eve’s hands flew to her mouth, clamping down over it. Her nerves were already high in the presence of the man, but at the mention of Hydra, her nerves increased even more. This led to her rambling and she let out what she was so proud of catching earlier. She inwardly cursed herself. _Just once I would like to meet someone new and not make a fool of myself._

A low rumbling caught her attention as she looked back at the men. They were trying their hardest to contain their laughter, but when they saw her mortified expression, it burst out of them. Bucky’s flesh hand covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his chuckling, but Steve was doubled over and wiping tears from his eyes. Eve huffed and crossed her arms, but her cheeks still burned.

“I can see why you like her, punk,” Bucky finally said to Steve who was composing himself.

“And here I thought it was because of my ass,” She muttered automatically, causing Steve’s cheeks to turn pink as well and more chuckles to escape Bucky.

“It is not because of…that,” Steve tried to defend himself, “It’s because of your…”

“Assets?” She supplied with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Now it was Steve’s turn to huff, “Anyways, if you need anything my apartment is on the other side of Bucky’s. I think Nat said that Fury should be here around noon tomorrow.”

She nodded, noticing that noon was not technically in the morning as she had been promised. The boys left with a few goodnights and as soon as she heard the front door close, she collapsed back on the bed with a sigh.

…

“That’s the most I’ve seen you laugh in a while,” Steve noted as they both stood in front of Bucky’s door.

He shrugged in response, “Yeah. She’s funny.”

Steve smiled at him and shook his head, “I don’t think she had much of a filter. She’s so feisty for someone so…small.”

The corners of Bucky’s mouth turned upwards as he agreed. However, he blinked a few times, pondering something.

“So, she took out an entire Hydra base? By herself?” He arched an eyebrow at Steve, who sighed.

“Yeah. Everyone was dead when we got there. The quinjet scanned the place. 132 dead, zero alive.”

“And Fury’s gonna set her up with another home tomorrow?” Bucky asked with a neutral expression even though he felt something odd stirring inside of him.

Steve nodded, clasping a hand over Bucky’s shoulder and saying goodnight before entering his own apartment. Bucky punched in his pin and opened his door, lost in his thoughts. He didn’t know why he had so many questions about this girl. When she talked about Hydra, he expected to feel that familiar tightness in his chest and for murky and horrible memories to be brought to the surface of his mind. But instead, she made him laugh. He knew of her powers and they sounded terrifying. But when he saw her…those abilities don’t seem to fit her.

He laid down over the tangled up comforter on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. The girl shouldn’t matter. Fury probably already had another home for her lined up and she would be leaving soon, possibly even before he got to see her again. As confusing as his feelings about her were, she was not destined to be a more permanent fixture in his life. Right?

Wrong.


	2. Just an Interesting Headline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eve finally has her date with the eyepatch man who stands like he has a stick up his ass. 
> 
> It does not go like she thought it would.
> 
> But it does go like we knew it would. 
> 
> Enjoy! Comments, Kudos, and Feedback are highly appreciated!

Eve loudly groaned in response to the obscenely annoying alarm blaring into her ears. After a moment of confusion, before the fog of sleep started to leave her mind, she remembered setting the clock on the bedside table to wake her at 7:00 am.

“Jesusfuckingchrist,” She slurred as her hand almost drunkenly poked, prodded, and pressed various buttons on the clock in an attempt to make the noise stop. After a few frustrating failed attempts, the room was blissfully sent into silence once again. She sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before blinking a few times at her surroundings.

_Why the fuck did I get up this early?_ At her happy little cabin, she would usually sleep in…later than she would like to admit at times. There wasn’t ever anything that pressing to do there and she rarely got much good sleep. With that thought, Eve realized that last night, she had slept better than she had in months – no nightmares, no restlessness, and she couldn’t even remember if she dreamt or if she was just dead to the world. As she got out of bed, she chalked it up to being so drained from yesterday. Or perhaps maybe sleeping safely in a tower filled with superheroes has its perks.

She was flinging her clothes off, still slightly angry at being awake, when she heard her front door open.

“Just me,” Nat called out before shutting the door behind her.

“I will be very glad when I get bras that actually fit me,” Eve replied as Nat walked into her room, chuckling at the sight of her struggling to get another one of Nat’s sport’s bras on.

“I’m surprised the underwear fits you,” She mused leaning on the doorframe.

Eve looked down at the plain black panties she already threw on, “Yeah, they’re a bit cheeky, but they work. Oh, and ladies call them panties, Nat,” She said shooting her a feigned disappointed look.

Nat rolled her eyes in response as Eve pulled on a pair of black athletic leggings, “I forgot how judgmental you are before your morning juice.”

Eve snorted, throwing on a pale-yellow tank top. She was surprised that Nat had remembered her precious morning beverage. Almost two years ago, she and Nat were sent on an undercover mission – well Nat was undercover and Eve was there just in case anything went south. Five months don’t seem long in retrospect, but the two of them grew close. Eve smiled as she remembered how abrasive and distant Widow had been in the beginning. It was fortunate that their senses of humor complimented each other and – with Eve’s lack of filter – it wasn’t long before they realized how much they had in common.

“Orange juice is a natural energy drink that, unlike coffee, doesn’t taste gross, stain your teeth, gives you bad breath, or jack you up on caffeine,” Eve defended herself with her hands on her hips.

“Whatever you say,” Nat smiled, “Come on, I’ll show you to the shared kitchen. It’s much bigger and will probably have your juice.”

With a sigh, Eve combed through her hair, pulled it into a messy ponytail, slipped on her shoes, and swung her backpack on her shoulder before the two exited her apartment. She couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her as they climbed into the elevator.

“So Steve told me that you met Bucky last night,” Nat slyly glanced at her as she pressed a button on the elevator, causing the doors to close.

Eve groaned as her cheeks heated up at the memory, “Yeah. Well, you know me. The meeting went great and he walked away thinking I’m highly intelligent, mature, and not creepy at all,” She responded in a dry sarcastic tone.

Nat snickered, “I’m sure it didn’t go that bad.”

“I believe I described him as ‘hot as hell’…to his face and openly admitted that the older girls in The Academy lusted after him when he was the Soldier.”

With all her experience as a spy, Natasha liked to believe she had total control over her emotions and what she chose to convey outwardly. But try as she might, she couldn’t stop herself from laughing for the rest of the elevator ride as Eve glared at her with her arms crossed. As they left the elevator, Eve could hear a chatter of voices coming from what turned out the be the very large kitchen and dining room area. It had the same open floor plan as her apartment did.

She walked in to see Sam sitting at the island on a stool with Steve standing behind the island in front of the refrigerator. She swallowed when she noticed Bucky sitting on the far end of the dining table, immersed in a newspaper. Sam and Steve were talking, but stopped to look at the two women as they walked in.

“Oh, you finally decided to wake up,” Steve smirked playfully at Eve who gave him a look of disbelief.

“Most of us don’t feel the need to wake up at the crack of dawn just to catch the early bird special,” She replied, once again stifling a yawn.

Nat chuckled, walking forward to join Sam at the island, “I wouldn’t mess with her before she’s had her orange juice.”

Clint walked into the room from a different entrance, “Orange juice? What are you five?”

Eve rolled her eyes and walked over to the fridge, where Steve had already opened it and was grabbing the carton of juice. He was intrigued by Natasha’s warning and decided to press his luck. Eve gave him a polite smile and reached for the carton, only for him to lift it above his head and out of her reach. Her smile dropped and a mischievous glint entered her green eyes.

“Steve,” She tried to reach for it in vain, “Steve, this is very un-Captain America of you. Give me the damn juice.”

Natasha and Clint looked on fully enjoying the scene unravelling before them. Sam was grinning. He had a feeling that Steve was about to get it from the pint-sized girl. Bucky’s gaze lifted from the headline he was reading curiously.

“Say please,” Steve smiled down at her, still holding the carton above her head.

She responded by pulling on the sweetest smile she could muster, already having decided what she was going to do. Maintaining eye contact, she suddenly pulled her knee forward, landing an unexpected and clear hit right to Steve’s groin. He instinctively recoiled, bending over and lowering the carton which she quickly plucked out of his hand. He leaned against the island, groaning softly and cupping his balls as the others snorted and snickered.

“Told you,” Nat whispered to Steve as Eve found a glass to pour the juice in, humming happily.

“Damn girl,” Sam hit the counter with his palm while grinning, “I’ve never seen someone so serious about orange juice.”

Eve smiled and downed the glass. Steve quickly recovered and went to sit down beside Bucky as Eve poured another glass.

“She got you good,” Bucky observed quietly to his friend, trying to hide his smug smile.

Steve rolled his eyes, but redirected the conversation, “How’d you sleep last night?”

Bucky’s smile waned slightly, “I got some sleep here and there.”

In truth, Bucky did sleep slightly better than normal last night than his usual sleeping experience. Nightmares still plagued his dreams, but they weren’t as vivid as they have been in the past and he fortunately woke up each time before they got worse. He almost told Steve of the weird little dream he had. It was of him as the Winter Soldier, but instead of slaughtering people, he visited The Academy and was greeted by a bunch of swooning teenagers. The little dream was short and ended when he noticed Eve in the corner of the room, rolling her eyes at the scene in front of her.

“Well that’s good,” Steve nodded, trying to be supportive, “That’s better than normal. You feel like hitting the gym?”

Before Bucky could answer, Tony strutted into the room carrying a large pot containing some type of leafy plant. Both men and the rest of the room directed their attention to Tony as he smiled widely while plopping the plant down onto the counter with a thud.

“Found a new hobby?” Nat eyed him, but he ignored her, meeting Eve’s curious eyes.

He gestured to the plant, “Your file says you can drain life from both people and plants. Care for a demonstration?”

Eve slowly set her almost empty glass onto the counter. Her eyes scanned Tony. His eyes were slightly brimmed with red and there were noticeable bags under his eyes. _He look likes he’s went a week without sleep._ She noticed how his movements were a bit twitchy and recognized the adrenaline boost that the lack of sleep will give you. Looking down at the plant, then back up to him, then to Nat, she wondered what to do.

“How did you get my file?” She settled on asking, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Well,” He said, leaning over and resting his elbows against the counter, “I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but – not to sound vain – I’m a genius, especially when it comes to hacking unhackable systems.”

Eve hummed, pursing her lips together for a moment before replying, “So you want me to kill this innocent plant?”

He nodded and smirked, “Would it help if I told you it tried to mug me on the way here? Luckily, it couldn’t keep hold of the knife…the leaves are too floppy to grip anything.”

Eve couldn’t help but smile at that visual. She sighed. It didn’t take much to drain plants. It was far less involved and complicated compared to people and animals. She didn’t…experience the feelings she tried desperately to stay away from when she did it, unlike draining people. The life she gained from a single plant is almost nothing. She glanced over at Nat again for reassurance. Nat arched a brow as if to tell her that she would personally kick Tony out of the room if I felt uncomfortable.

“Fine,” Eve shrugged and reached out to touch the edge of one of the leaves. With little to no effort, she felt the life essence start to migrate from the plant into her body. It kind of felt like taking a breath in. The effects were seen on the plant immediately and everyone around watched on in curiosity and slight awe as it withered before their eyes. The once green color was replaced with a tanish brown, emanating from the area of contact, before crumbling in on itself.

“Tada,” Eve said unenthusiastically, removing her hand.

Tony was still studying the plant, “So if you can take life, can you give it back?”

Eve forced a light chuckle, trying to hide her discomfort on the subject. In truth, she used to be able to. In fact, when her powers first presented themselves at a very young age, giving life was all she was capable of. The Academy changed that and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t regain that ability. Now she only took, never gave.

“She’s not God, Tony,” Steve chimed in and Eve looked over at him to give him a grateful smile.

“We literally know two gods,” Tony shot back, “Nothing is impossible anymore.”

Clint smiled, “Except Steve getting a date.” Steve scoffed and Sam snickered.

Tony turned to Steve and added, “Don’t listen to them, Capsicle. You’ll find a nice dainty gal to court with eventually. Maybe even share a milkshake with. In fact,” He turned back towards Eve, “What about Eve? You could court her. Although…maybe don’t get her flowers.”

Eve, who was in the middle of taking another drink while being amused by the banter, sputtered and choked slightly. The citric juice burned her nasal passages, but she couldn’t feel it through her surprise.

“He did admit to checking me out yesterday,” She stated after she recovered and enjoyed the look of shock on Tony’s face, “But, I don’t think I’m his type.”

A chorus of chuckles went through the room at her reaction. Even Steve, who was slightly blushing chuckled. Bucky, whose attention was still seemingly on the paper in front of him, couldn’t help but smile. He vaguely remembered dating back before the war. He briefly allowed himself to wonder if he would’ve asked Eve on a date back then. He squinted his eyes, confused and slightly shocked that he would even think that.

“I was checking you for wounds,” Steve assured her, putting emphasis on the last word, “And don’t worry, you’re in no danger of me courting you.”

Eve, who was cleaning and rinsing her glass, slightly huffed, “I didn’t have any wounds on my ass.”

“You were unconscious. How do you know-“ Steve started but caught the glint in her eyes and groaned when he realized what he stepped into.

“Ah-ha!” Eve exclaimed, smiling a wicked smile.

“So you were checking out her ass,” Sam snorted, winking at Eve before turning to Steve, “You sly old man.”

Nat smiled at Eve, “God, I missed you.”

Eve smiled in return, both at Nat and the fact that Steve was still trying to argue with Sam and Clint that he did not purposefully check out my ass. She realized how much she had missed this. Human interaction wasn’t something she often got while living in her cabin. The only time she would talk to people was when she would trek to the nearest small town to get groceries and supplies. Looking from the outside in, the scarcity of human interaction seemed lonely and sad. But the truth was that Eve had gotten used to it. She was good at that; getting used to things others might deem unbearable.

In the back of her mind, a part of her warned herself not to get too close, too used to this. She would be sent back into isolation soon and, perhaps, to a place where the nearest people live even farther away. With that thought, she grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the counter and walked over to sit with Steve and Bucky. The chair made no noise as she pulled it out and sat down beside Steve.

“Anything good?” She set her attention to Bucky as Steve was still chatting. He looked up from the newspaper to meet her eyes. His clear blue eyes seemed to pierce through her, and she couldn’t tell if it was intimating or attractive. He almost seemed surprised she was talking to him.

“What?” He asked, but when she nodded down to the paper, he responded, “Oh. Uh, no. All the stories are either boring or…depressing.”

Eve nodded in understanding. She didn’t really except anything else. In The Academy, she always fantasized about the outside world as being almost magical. Everything would be better, brighter, happier, easier. But it turned out that the real world is almost just as screwed up as the Academy world, just more secretive about it. If you were the general public, you were blessed with ignorance. She wondered if he felt like that when he got out of Hydra’s control. She watched as his gaze returned to the paper, his eyes lazily following the words. She scrunched her lips to the side and spied a sharpie marker also on the table.

“Do you want me to fix that?” She said suddenly, causing him to look up at her with curiosity.

“You want to fix the world?” A soft smile grew on his face. A smile that she decided she liked.

She shook her head, “No, no. That’s too much responsibility. I only recently was able to successfully care for a fern for a few months without it dying. I meant the newspaper.”

His eyes flickered back down to the paper in his hands, then back up to her.

He slid it over to her, “Sure. Go for it.”

She nodded and grabbed the sharpie, popping the cap off with her teeth. She glanced over at him as he watched her and put her arm up between them to guard the paper from his eyes. It reminded her of when they would give written exams at The Academy and she would try to stave off the girls who always tried to cheat off her. Satisfied about the privacy, she quickly marked out the headline of the paper, replacing it with the text ‘Man with Metal Arm Saves Stray Kittens from Burning Tree’. Sure, it was lengthy, but she liked it. For good measure, she drew over the picture of some government official shaking hands with another man in a suit. She crudely drew Bucky climbing down from a tree holding a basket of kittens. Once she finished the flames on the tree, she folded the paper and slid it back to him.

He unfolded it and took in the alterations she made. She certainly wasn’t an artist but it made him smile nonetheless. He shook his head, trying to wipe the goofy smile he wore off, but it persisted. Eve couldn’t help but smile as well. After a long moment of staring at the paper, he slid it halfway between them and pointed to one kitten who was hanging a bit too far out of the basket.

“The flames are on that one,” He chuckled lightly. Eve examined her drawing again. Sure enough, her careless drawing of the flames had caused the unfortunate kitten to be caught up in them.

“Oh no,” Eve frowned slightly, “Well, maybe that kitten was the one who started the fire. In that case, it would be karma that it was the only casualty.”

Bucky snorted at this and Steve finally decided to tune into the conversation.

“What the hell are you two talking about?”

Buck and Eve shared a look, both smiling and trying to hold back more laughter. Steve took notice of this and it caused him to smile as well. He recognized the smile Bucky wore. It was a glimpse of the friend he used to know before he lost him on the train, all those years ago. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, especially since Eve was probably leaving soon. But it was nice to see that.

“Reaper,” A familiar voice announced as he walked into the room, “I was told you wanted to see me.”

Eve bristled for a moment, but then relaxed back in the chair. Her eyes swept over Fury. He was just as she remembered him. Bald head, menacing eye patch, all black outfit, and standing like he had a stick up his ass.

“Well, well,” Eve said, “To be honest, I’m surprised you’re still alive old man. I see you’re still going through your pirate phase.”

Fury’s hard expression didn’t change, “I see you’re still a chatty brat. And you call me an old man when you’re sitting between men who fought in World War II.”

“Darling, don’t try to compare yourself to Steve and Bucky. It’s not healthy to intentionally lower your self-esteem.”

His eyes narrowed, “I remember now why I sent you packing.”

She gave out a humorless, bark of a laugh, “Yeah. That’s the reason why.”

Fury’s eyes shifted around the room, where everyone was either trying to pretend like they weren’t listening or just outright staring. He met Eve’s eyes again and gestured for her to follow him before walking out of the room. Eve sighed and stood up, sending one last smile to everyone before following Fury down the hall.

They ended up an a clearly unused office space on the floor below the one they were on. There was a desk, a cushioned desk chair, and two metal chairs on the other side. Everything else was bare and slightly dusty. Fury promptly took the desk chair and Eve settled into one of the uncomfortable metal chairs. She squared her shoulders and decided not to beat around the bush.

“How the hell did Hydra get my location if only YOU had it?”

“There was a breach in security. A lot of files got stolen, including yours,” He explained almost too calmly for Eve’s liking.

“You said you wouldn’t put my file with the others. You said it wouldn’t be in the system at all,” She seethed, feeling her anger bubble up already.

He stared at her for a moment, “I lied.”

“What else did you lie about?” She shot back.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“If it concerns me, then it is of my concern, you ass.”

He breathed in, clearly holding his emotions back. A nagging worry emerged in Eve’s mind. A thought that had been bouncing around in the far corners of her mind ever since she arrived at the tower.

“Fury,” She stated, her voice was a lot more even and calm than she felt, “Did you give Hydra my location so the team can rescue me and bring me back here? So I would become…what? A superhero? Part of the team?”

He had tried to convince her to be apart of his little collection of superheroes at the very start of the Avengers initiative. She refused it, he persisted, and that cycle continued for a while. He tried to convince her that he knew people who could help her, build technology to control, amplify, aim her powers. It all sounded too good to be true, mostly because it was. Once he saw the cost of using her powers as a weapon, he finally relented. He agreed that it was too risky, and he agreed to hide her away from the world.

He again was quiet for some time before saying, “I did not leak your location. But it was rather good timing. A while ago, I asked Tony and Bruce to work on something for you. A way to control and even diminish your powers. I believe that they’re almost done with it and testing would go even faster with you here.”

“And yes,” he continued, “I think, with control in place, you would be a great asset to the team. But, as you may know, I am not exactly in charge anymore, at least not here. That would be up to the Captain or Stark to decide.”

Eve shook her head, “People have tried to control my abilities before. It never worked and it never will. Technology…science…it doesn’t work. This,“ She gestured at herself, “Whatever this is, it isn’t science. There isn’t a shot or device that can make it go away.”

She sighed, “Just…just get me another hideout. And don’t put it in the system this time.”

Fury set his jaw and she saw it in his face that he wasn’t going to find her another place.

…

Eve walked back into the kitchen to find Nat, Clint, Steve, and Bucky still there. They all looked at her with a mixed reaction of concern and curiosity.

“How much time do we have until you leave the nest?” Clint asked.

Eve sighed, “I’m staying. I need to hit something.”

Nat jumped up from her bar stool, “I’ll show you where the gym is. I can put an eyepatch on a punching bag for you.”

“We’ll come with,” Steve said getting up, “We were about to hit the gym anyways.”

Bucky stood up at well. Part of him was confused on why she was staying. Another part of him was nervous about having more encounters with her. She made him feel things. Real things, not just ghosts of emotions. It terrified him, but he also craved it. Yet another part, deeper inside, was happy that she was staying. He felt only a little guilty since she didn’t seem to be very pleased about the news.

“So don’t get me wrong, I’m stoked you’re staying,” Nat said as they all walked down the hall, “But why?”

Eve clicked her tongue, “Well. Remember when I told you that Fury used to be constantly on my case about joining the superhero circus? It’s basically the same thing. Apparently, he had Tony working on something to help control my powers and Hydra fucking up my life was ‘good timing’ because now I can test it. He swears that he didn’t leak my location.”

Her and Nat shared a look with an eyeroll. Steve, on the other hand, seemed shocked.

“You really think Fury would do that?” He asked, looking down at Eve.

She shrugged, “I wouldn’t put it past him. He knew that the only people that would be in danger were the Hydra agents. He gets me here after you guys rescue me and a base full of Hydra is taken care of. It’d be a win-win.”

“And I’m guessing you still don’t want to be on the team,” Steve stated.

She smiled almost a sad smile as they entered the large gym, “No, sorry Cap. I’m not a hero.”

“Sounds suspiciously like something a hero would say,” He shot back with a smile.

Eve rolled her eyes as her and Nat walked over to the corner where the punching bags hung. Bucky, who had been silently observing the conversation felt a pang of familiarity to her saying she wasn’t a hero.

“Can’t believe she talked to Fury like that,” Steve mused as the two men watched on.

Bucky glanced at him, “Really? I mean, we’ve only known her for maybe a day and I can believe it.”

Steve chuckled and directed his attention to his friend, “After she left, why’d you tear out that page in the paper? I saw you put it in your pocket.”

Bucky’s right hand subconsciously patted his pocket where the folded-up paper was kept. He shrugged to his friend, trying to act nonchalant.

“Just an interesting headline.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not a hero" - said every hero ever.


	3. Confessions and Penpals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! For everyone also reading my other fic, The Memories We Choose To Keep, I will be updating that next I promise. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Comments, kudos, and feedback are always appreciated! Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Btw, I think this Bucky is absolutely adorable. Gawh!

After taking out her aggression and frustration on the innocent punching bag, Eve plopped herself down onto the couch next to Nat. Nat had led her into the lounge room which was connected to the large kitchen and dining room through an archway. Her eyes roamed over the massive plasma screen television on the wall in front of them as she allowed her body to sink into the squishy, soft cushions.

“I suppose it could be worse,” She muttered, glancing at Nat, “On the bright side, I get to spend more time with you. Clint and Sam seem nice. Steve is nice to look at.”

Natasha chuckled, “What about Sergeant Barnes?” She shot Eve a knowing look.

Eve rolled her eyes and leaned her head back into the couch, “God, he’s – “

“Hot as hell?” Steve finished for her as he leaned against the entrance, causing her to jump and her cheeks to blush.

“Jesus, Steve,” She narrowed her eyes at him as he smirked, “One. It’s not nice to sneak up on people. And two. You have just lost your chance at courting me.”

He rolled his eyes playfully and walked further into the room.

“I was not sneaking. I was summoned,” He stated.

Eve looked to Nat, who replied with a huge grin on her face, “We need to go shopping for you some clothes. And we’ll need someone to hold our bags.”

Both Steve and Eve looked both distressed at this news. Eve, of course, knew she needed clothes but she figured she’d spend the night perusing online stores and adding things to her cart without having to leave her bed.

“I’m not allowed around large crowds of people,” She blurted out. It wasn’t a full lie. She really shouldn’t be shuffling through a busy shopping mall. She had reasonable control of her powers but rubbing shoulder to shoulder with strangers would be basically asking for a disaster. There was no set rule about this though and Eve wouldn’t be considered a stickler for any type of rule anyways.

“Bullshit,” Nat states with a flat expression. Bucky enters the room, his eyes connected to Steve, then to Eve and Nat. His hair was damp from the rinse off shower he just took and was wearing gray sweats and a simple long-sleeved shirt.

An idea popped into Eve’s head and flew out of her mouth, “Oh gosh! Bucky. I almost forgot,” Bucky looked at her with furrowed brows as she continued as she stood up from the couch, “You were going to help me…rearrange the furniture in my apartment. Ugh, looks like we’ll have to take a raincheck on that shopping trip,” She walked towards Bucky who had no clue what was happening as she gently took the sleeve of his shirt.

Nat stood up as well and was about to scold Eve again, but Eve kept talking as she pulled Bucky out of the room, “How’s next Saturday for you? Maybe do brunch? Remember that one restaurant that we ate brunch at? It had the best chocolate crepes…”

Her voice trailed off as she was now halfway to the elevators, still towing Bucky. She let out a sigh of relief once the elevator doors closed and released her hold on his sleeve.

“So,” Bucky glanced at her, “What was that?”

“Nat was going to force me, and Steve for some reason, into a shopping trip. Then you came in at the best time. Thanks for going along with it, by the way,” Eve gave him a smile.

The elevator door dinged open and they stepped out onto the floor of their apartments.

“Why did Steve have to go?” He questioned.

Eve shook her head, “She’s sadistic.”

They stopped in front of her door. Bucky wasn’t sure of what to do. Did she really expect him to help her move stuff around? He wasn’t even sure why he let her drag him away, but he did catch the slight smile on Steve’s face before they left the room.

“You don’t happen to have a phone…or a tablet I could use?” She asked, suddenly remembering her online shopping plans.

He nodded, remembering that Steve had something he called a tablet in his room. Without another word, he walked past his room and punched in the key code to open Steve’s door. Steve made Bucky’s apartment code the same as his after Bucky told him he was worried that he’d forget it. With large strides, he walked over to the couch and plucked the device up. He closed the door behind him as he left.

Eve had already opened her door and was waiting for Bucky to return. He handed the tablet to her and after she thanked him, he turned to walk back to his room.

“Hey,” Eve called out to his back, making him turn towards her. She nodded towards her apartment, “You…can come in if you want.”

He stared at her and she quickly added, “I won’t make you rearrange my furniture…and I have snacks.” She inwardly cringed at how desperate she sounded. Adding the snacks bribe was too much.

To her relief, he shrugged with a hint of a smile on his lips, “Sure.”

…

“What about that one?” He said, jutting out his finger to stop her scrolling on the screen.

Eve sat comfortably on her couch with her legs tucked underneath her and a soft blanket wrapped around her like a cloak. Bucky sat beside her, close enough to share the screen but not touching. His metal hand was idly reaching in between the open bag of puffy Cheetos that sat between them and his mouth.

Eve nodded, “I like it. Imma get the blue one.” She added the item to her already pricy cart. She continued scrolling and gasped, immediately drawing Bucky’s attention.

Bucky huffed and rolled his eyes as he saw what she was referring to. It was a white tank top – with a plunging neckline – that had a large graphic of Captain America’s shield on it. The model wearing it was extremely close to a nip slip.

“Bet he’d court me if I wore this,” She stated smugly and glanced at Bucky who shook his head.

He was quiet for a moment and Eve started to worry if she crossed some sort of line. If her mouth had, once again, gotten her in trouble.

Then he spoke up quietly, “I think that would lead to something past courting.”

Eve snorted in surprise. She glanced again at him and met his blue eyes for a moment as he struggled to keep the smile off his face.

“Doesn’t matter anyways,” She shrugged still smiling and continuing to scroll, “I’m uncourtable.”

“Why do you say that?” He asked and she paused at the sincerity in his voice.

She breathed out a laugh, trying to keep things light, “Well, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure one of the first steps in courting is giving the girl flowers. And…well, you’ve seen how well I do with plants.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him smirk.

“And you know,” She added reluctantly, “the whole sucking-out-your-entire-life-essence sounds sexy on paper…but it tends to turn people away.”

An odd and slightly uncomfortable silence fell between them. Eve swallowed, turning her entire focus onto the screen. Having added way more clothes than she needed already to the cart, she turned to the men’s section in an effort to keep her attention away from the awkward air she cast upon them. She guessed Bucky’s size and started going through shirts for him. It wasn’t her money anyways. It was Fury’s. Seeing as she couldn’t really have a normal nine to five, she took to pickpocketing people in order to buy her essentials. Fury was annoyed when he found out and offered his card. This shopping spree was payback for referring to her lovely home being destroyed and compromised as “good timing”.

Bucky wasn’t watching what she was doing on the screen anymore. He was stuck in his own head, still wondering what the appropriate response would be. He wanted to tell her that she wasn’t uncourtable. He wanted her to know that he could relate to feeling ostracized or thought of differently when people realize what he can do and what he’s done.

Eve quickly checked out, opting for the extradited shipping and, luckily, the tower’s address was automatically filled in since this was Steve’s tablet. As the order confirmation page popped up, she wondered what Captain America orders online. She reminded herself that she was an adult and resisted the urge to snoop…having his best friend sitting in view of the screen helped as well. She gently placed the table onto Bucky’s lap, shaking him from his daze.

“Thanks,” She smiled, “This was certainly less painful than going shopping with Nat.”

“Oh, uh sure,” He said gripping the tablet, “How…do you know Natasha anyways?”

Eve smiled, surprised at the relief she felt that he didn’t instantly spring up and leave. She adjusted herself so she was facing him, sitting with her legs crisscrossed and leaned her side against the couch.

“Fury decided to send me on a mission, once and only once. And it was with Nat. She was working undercover, trying to get with this one rich guy. He was apparently a huge arms dealer. I didn’t really pay attention to the details which is probably one of the reasons I wasn’t sent on another mission. Anyways, I was there for protection, I would step in if her cover was blown or if shit hit the fan. I think I was supposed to be her sister if anyone asked. But we shared a place during the mission. It was the fanciest and most uncomfortable apartment. I learned what a bidet is during one of the first days in and I had a slight fear of toilets for a while after,” She sighed, shaking her head at the memory, “But we got close. We actually have a lot in common. Looking back, I think it was the nicest things Fury has ever done for me.”

Bucky nodded, smirking at her momentary fear of toilets. He didn’t know what a bidet was, but after her description, he didn’t want to find out.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Bucky looked at her with a bit of fear and uncertainty washing over his eyes. There were a million possible questions that she could ask running through his mind and none of them were positive. She had just answered his question though and shared a little bit of her past with him, he reasoned that it was only fair that she asks him one. He nodded.

Eve chewed on the inside of her lip, contemplating if she wanted to risk changing the mood in the room again. It was a random question that has been bouncing around in her mind and really it was a question she could ask anyone. However, Bucky seemed the safest choice. Asking Nat would turn into a lecture, it’d probably confuse Steve, she didn’t care what Fury thought and she wasn’t close to anyone else on the team yet. And part of her thought that Bucky would understand.

“Do you think me being here is a good idea?” She asked, staring down at her hands in her lap.

Bucky furrowed his brows, “Why wouldn’t it be?”

She sighed sadly and opened her mouth to respond when another voice cut her off.

“Captain Rogers is requesting Miss Eve and Sergeant Barnes to the meeting room,” A woman’s automated voice seemingly came from nowhere, causing Eve to look up at Bucky with wide and confused eyes.

He smirked and stood up, “That’s Friday. She’s Stark’s AI.”

Eve stood as well and looked at him quizzically, “You know what an AI is?”

He shook his head, “No clue. But if you ask her something she answers. She’s in every room.”

“Ok,” Eve sighed, “I guess let’s go.”

…

“Have fun rearranging furniture?” Nat asked from her seat at the oval table, raising her eyebrows suggestively and causing Eve to roll her eyes.

Eve sat down next to her and Bucky took the seat on her other side, beside him sat Steve at the head of the table. They were the last two to come in.

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Tony chimed in from across from Eve.

Eve scoffed, “You realize you just admitted that you’re old.”

Tony gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his chest.

“Hey,” Sam said in a firm voice, pointing a finger at Eve, “Respect your _elders_ ,” He drawled out that word with a smirk on his lips.

“Excuse me,” Tony snapped, craning his head to look at him, “What did you just say?”

Eve fought back a laugh when Clint then offered up his hearing aids to Tony, but lost it when a giggle escaped Nat. Soon the whole table was laughing at the dismay and shock on Tony’s face. Steve was smug since the old person jokes weren’t directed at him for once.

“Ok, ok,” Steve said after a moment, “As delighted as I am by this conversation, it isn’t why I called the meeting. We have a new resident at the tower and we haven’t gotten a proper introduction from her yet.”

Eve sighed as Steve looked pointedly towards her, urging her to talk. She idly scanned the room and saw that all attention was now focused towards her. Her insides felt squirmy at the attention.

“I’m Eve,” She stated with a smile that came off looking more like a grimace, “What else do you wanna know?”

“What’s your last name?” Steve inquired and Eve shifted her gaze to meet his.

She shrugged, “I was never told one. Actually, I was never given Eve as my name either. I just decided to call myself that after I…left Hydra.”

She knew she was being specifically cautious about her phrasing and words. It was a habit. Usually the people who genuinely wanted answers about her past weren’t the good guys.

“How did you leave Hydra?” Bruce piped up, adjusting the glasses on his face. She subconsciously looked over to Nat, who smiled and slightly nodded. It wouldn’t hurt to tell them since even Hydra apparently knows the truth by now.

“Well,” She breathed in, “Long story short, I faked my death. I lived in The Academy and one night, a couple of students managed to blow the place up. Using my powers, I survived but barely. I found the body of a nurse outside in the hallway near my room and put what remained of my nightshirt on her before I laid her on my bed. She was about my size and everyone was burned beyond recognition at that point. In the commotion, I snuck out of the complex and I lived under the radar for years.”

“Creative,” Tony spoke slowly, “How did you end up at The Academy in the first place?”

“My parents gave me to them when I was about five years old I think,” She responded, slowly getting used to answering questions about herself, “My abilities freaked them out so they reached out for help and unfortunately Hydra answered.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve said, which slightly confused Eve.

She shrugged, “You can’t miss what you never really had.”

This cast a period of silence over the table. No one really knew how to respond and the silence started making Eve uncomfortable. Had she said the wrong thing?

“What do you know about your powers?” Bruce finally broke the silence after clearing his throat.

Eve let out a breath of relief, “I take life. At first Hydra thought it was energy I was taking, but it didn’t explain why flowers wilted or why,” She stopped herself and, for once thankfully, censored herself, “…why people and animals…deteriorated almost like they were rapidly aging within seconds. Plants are a lot simpler to take from, it takes much less effort but it also yields very little life. I can give life to plants, but not to more complex forms, like animals or people. The higher the age limit of animals or people, the more life I end up taking. I can store extra life, but only to a certain amount. I can use that extra life to heal wounds and exert myself for longer and faster, like running.”

“What happens when you absorb too much life?” Tony questioned. Eve started to become nervous. The questions were getting closer and closer towards her secret, but she fought to keep her expression calm.

She swallowed, “I have to get rid of it, usually by giving it to plants.”

She turned to Steve, “The field in which you guys “rescued” me in was nothing but short grass before.”

Clint huffed in amusement, “The entire building was covered in vines and the flowers were so thick, you could barely see the grass underneath. That was you?”

Eve nodded and decided to continue on her own, “I can take life easiest through touch, specifically my fingers or palms,” She paused, focusing her gaze down at the table in front of her, “But I can also absorb life without touching. Up to about 20 feet away. But it takes much more concentration and effort. I can’t accidentally take it without touch.”

A pause fell through the room again and Eve’s heartrate rose when she realized what she admitted. Her hands automatically tucked themselves between her knees as her mind scrambled. Dread filled her as the words started tumbling out of her mouth uncontrollably.

“N-not to say…I don’t mean that I accidentally,” She stammered, “Well, yeah. Okay sometimes I can’t control taking life through touch. But – that sounds bad – it’s only when I don’t feel in control or when I start thinking about my past…I don’t want to hurt anyone. I-I’m not dangero – well that’s not exactly true. I’ve only accidentally k-killed sm-small animals before – they don’t have as much life to take – but I didn’t mean t-to. It just happened..I just wanted a pe-t.”

Her own hands took the initiative to clamp over her mouth, preventing the further stream of nonsense from spilling out of it. The more she spoke, the tighter her chest felt. It felt like those damn leather straps her handlers would put over her when she talked back too much. She felt like a million stares were trained on her.

She suddenly stood up and her feet took her out of the room as quickly as possible, being careful not to touch anyone on the way. She heard protests, but her mind was too jumbled to process what they were saying. She made it to her apartment and, when the door shut behind her, she leaned against it and listened to her own light panting. _Fuck me. I should have told them from the start. Of course they didn’t see me as a liability at first…they didn’t know what a complete mess I am._

Feeling exhausted, she stumbled over to the couch and flopped onto it. She buried her head into one of the plush pillows and screamed out her frustrations. Figures that she’d be staying here indefinitely, and she managed to screw things up on the second day. It wasn’t long before she heard a knock on her door, something that she was dreading. She ignored it, simply staring at the shadows of feet underneath the door from her spot on the couch. She hoped and prayed that it wasn’t Nat, or at least that she wouldn’t barge in like she usually does.

The shadows disappeared and she released the breath she had been holding. She turned to lay on her back, her gaze focused on the white ceiling and trying desperately to think of absolutely nothing except the blank canvas of the ceiling. Another round of knocking erupted, slightly louder than the first.

“Eve? It’s Steve,” he called through the door, “Uh, Nat said to give you some space, but I just wanted you to know that none of us care if you have some…problems. I think everyone would agree when I say that we don’t consider you a danger.”

She sighed. His words did ease her thoughts, if only a fraction. She covered her face with her hands. She felt like an idiot for running away.

After a moment, Steve continued, “You…you want me to bring you some food? Tony had pizza delivered.”

She couldn’t help but smile. Who knew Cap could be such a mother hen. She stood up, walking up to the door and, after only a brief pause, opening it. She was greeted by Steve’s boyish smile.

“What kind of pizza?” She asked with a small smile, causing his own smile to grow.

“Cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and supreme,” He replied proudly.

…

“Knock, knock,” Steve called out and Eve hopped off her couch, confused as to why he didn’t just knock like normal. When she opened the door, her question was answered as Steve balanced two boxes of pizza in one hand and a six pack of Coke in the other.

Her eyes drifted behind his frame to see Bucky, smiling sheepishly at her. Eve motioned for the men to come in, stepping aside as they entered her apartment. Steve sat the pizza and drinks on the coffee table while Eve grabbed some plates from her cupboard. She grabbed a slice from one of the boxes and sat down with her back leaning against the arm rest of the couch. Steve sat down beside her and Bucky on the other side of him, each stacking their plates with pizza.

“Thanks, Steb,” She mumbled through a mouthful of pizza.

“No problem,” He replied, sending her a smile then nodding towards her tv, “You wanna pick out something to watch?”

Eve shrugged, “Is it okay if we just talk? I guess I owe you guys an explanation after…freaking out.”

Steve shook his head, but seeing as his mouth was full, Bucky answered instead, “You don’t owe us anything, Doll,” He craned forward slightly to meet your eyes as he spoke and grabbed another slice of pizza.

Steve slightly choked on his mouthful at the nickname that naturally flew out of Bucky’s mouth. Eve blushed slightly and tried to fight the smile that was trying to take over her lips. _Doll, huh? Old fashioned, but cute._ Steve stole a glance at Bucky, who didn’t seem to be acting any different as he munched away. He wondered if he even realized what he said.

“Well,” Eve started, deciding to push forward, “I’ve never taken life from a person without meaning to. The only accidental casualties, not including plants, were a cat and two rabbits. It didn’t take me long to realize what I was doing but…since they don’t have very long life-spans…it was too late,” She stared down at the half-eaten slice on her plate, “So whenever I come in contact with someone, like when Nat grabs my arm, I focus on keeping my abilities in check.”

Both men nodded in understanding and Steve spoke up, “Is that why Fury kept you hidden away from us?”

Eve breathed out a laugh, “I’m sure that was one of the reasons.”

“What other reasons are there?” Bucky asked, shocking both himself and Steve, who wasn’t used to his friend showing such an interest in another person. Eve met Bucky’s clear blue eyes as a smile played on her lips.

“A few,” She answered honestly but vaguely and added, “He probably didn’t want Cap here to fall hopelessly in love with me,” She poked Steve’s chest with her toe.

Steve rolled his eyes and relaxed back into the couch.

Bucky chuckled, “Oh yeah, he seems lovesick already.”

Eve smiled, “I’m terribly sorry, dear Steven,” She said dramatically, “I know your heart burns bright for me, but – alas – cruel fate has us on separate paths. We are doomed to be nothing more than star-crossed lovers.”

“Did you just say ‘alas’?” Steve asked but Eve quickly thrust her finger onto his, surprisingly soft, lips.

“Shh, sweet child,” She struggled to maintain a straight face, “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

She kept a straight face until her eyes loomed over to Bucky, who was biting his lip and watching her amused, then she giggled, causing Steve to chuckle as well.

Bucky put his hand on Steve’s shoulder in mock concern, “You gonna be okay, punk?”

Steve wiped imaginary tears from his eyes and nodded, causing more laughter between them. There was a sudden knock at the door, Eve looked over at it.

“Murderer or friend?” She called out, causing Bucky to smirk.

“Both,” Nat’s voice called out before the keypad beeped and the door opened.

Nat smiled when she saw the smile on Eve’s face, “Having a housewarming party without me?” She sat down in the armchair close to where Eve sat on the couch.

Eve nodded, “Yeah. I just broke up with Steve.”

Nat smirked at this, “Good. I wasn’t going to say anything, but you can do way better,” She whispered this, but it was purposely loud enough that everyone heard it.

“Hey!” Steve exclaimed, looking rightfully offended.

“Mr. Stark would like me to ask if Eve would be able to join him and Dr. Banner in the lab at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning,” Friday’s voice chimed in, only mildly startling Eve this time.

Eve sighed, “Yeah. I guess.”

“Thank you. I’ll let Mr. Stark know,” Friday responded.

Eve looked at Nat, “Apparently Fury has had Tony working on something to control my powers.”

Nat nodded, “Tony is a genius when it comes to technology, but don’t let him know I said that. He has a big enough ego already.”

Eve smiled lightly and shook her head, “So many have tried to control, not only my powers, but me. It’s never worked. I’ve had collars, imbedded microchips, conditioning of all types…Hydra is pretty big on control.”

Bucky’s entire body went rigid as he knew too well the truth behind her statement. He stood up abruptly, his greasy plate shattering on the floor, and made a beeline for the door. He opened it, didn’t bother closing it, and seconds later his own door slammed shut. Eve’s eyes widened and she looked over to Steve who was grimacing.

“Did I – ?” Eve started but he cut her off.

“No…” He sighed, standing up, “He’s just…still in the process of recovering. I’ll go check on him, but he’ll be fine,” He shot her a tired smile before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Eve looked over to Nat still worried that she said something wrong, but the red head just shook her head.

“He’ll be fine,” She repeated Steve’s words. Both women worked together to clean up the shards of ceramic Bucky had left behind. They chatted comfortably and Eve soon forgot the concern she held for the man.

Nat smiled and gave Eve a short hug, “I am glad you’re here. You deserve better than being banished away to a shed in the woods.”

Eve snorted, “I quite liked my cozy little cabin, thank you.”

Nat simply rolled her eyes and called out a goodnight on her way out of the door. As the door latched shut, a silence flooded through the apartment and Eve sighed.

…

Eve twisted and turned, tangling the sheets around her legs, which she sat up to untangle with a huff. She laid her head back down onto the pillow and her face scrunched when she discovered that her hair, still damp from her shower, had made the pillow soggy. With another aggravated huff, she flipped her pillow over and settled back in. Her gaze drifted over to the clock on her bedside table. It was past 1 am and she still couldn’t sleep, no matter how long she lay perfectly relaxed with her eyes closed.

It was starting to make her angry, actually. Her body didn’t have many jobs…keep her alive, get hungry when she needed food, thirsty when she needed water, and go to fucking sleep. Usually, she would have given up on sleep by now and would have gone for a run on the trails around her cabin. It didn’t matter if it were dark, she would sport a headlamp and she knew those trails so well, she could probably run them with her eyes closed. _Guess I’ll never run those trails again._ A frustrated groan escaped her lips when she remembered the existence of the AI.

“Friday?” She tentatively called out into the relative darkness of her room, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What can I do for you, Miss Eve?” She responded and Eve released a breath.

“Am I…uh, allowed to leave my room? To go to the gym?” She almost immediately felt foolish for asking, but part of her egged her on just to make sure.

“Of course. Are you having trouble sleeping? Do you want me to contact Agent Romanoff for you?”

Eve breathed out a laugh and shook her head, “I guess I am having a little trouble, but there’s no need to call anyone. Thank you, Friday.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Eve.”

Eve shot out of her bed. After looking down at her comfy sleep shorts and baggy t-shirt, she decided to just throw her shoes on and go to the gym in her pjs. She ran a brush through her hair and slipped a hair tie onto her wrist so she could put it up at the gym. Blowing a kiss towards Kitkat, who she had placed beside the alarm clock on the nightstand, she headed out the door.

The hallway lights were dimmed due to the late hour. As she shut her apartment door, she caught a shape out of the corner of her eye. When it moved slightly, she jumped, one of her hands clamping over her mouth to muffle the girly and embarrassing squeal that left her lips. She swore her heart stopped before she realized that the shape was Bucky, sitting beside his door with his back leaning against the hallway and his elbows resting on his knees. He looked at her with a sheepish smile, silently apologizing for the scare.

Her hand left her mouth to rest against her chest and she said the first thing that popped into her mind, “Please don’t tell anyone I squeal like a girl.”

The corners of his mouth twitched, “You are a girl.”

“Okay, please don’t tell anyone I squeal like an obnoxious girly-girl.”

To that he nodded. Eve could tell something was bothering him, but she could also tell he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Bucky wanted to be alone, but he also didn’t. It was a battle fought inside of him almost every day. He didn’t want to bother Steve yet again and his apartment, even though it was spacious, seemed too small. He liked the openness of the hallway.

Eve sucked in a sharp breath when she remembered something from her days at The Academy. A small smile played on her lips as she opened her door again and entered into her apartment. Bucky’s enhanced hearing picked up the sound of drawers being opened and rustling in it’s contents. Eve quickly found what she was looking for: a piece of paper and two pencils. She was almost giddy as she sat down in front of her closed front door, but she reminded herself not to get her hopes up. He may not respond and that was okay.

Bucky’s head turned towards Eve’s door as he heard something slide out from under it. His eyes landed on a piece of notebook paper and it was shortly accompanied by a rolling pencil. He glanced at the closed door then back to the paper before hesitantly scooting close enough to grab the paper and pencil. Glancing again at the door, as if he expected it to open at any second, he then unfolded the paper.

_Hi –_ She had written towards the top of the paper.

Eve listened in anticipation and her eyes were glued to the slot underneath the door. In The Academy, she was lucky enough to find her best friend – who turned more into her little sister – as a roommate. _Doe_ she had called her because her eyes were always wide and glassy like a doe’s. She didn’t have a real name, just like Eve didn’t until she named herself. Things were always tough at The Academy, but Eve always found solace in the notes they would pass back and forth at night, way past the time they were supposed to be awake and talking. Eve couldn’t help but smile widely when the scrap of paper was slid back through the door. She opened it.

_Hi –_ His handwriting was scratchy, but Eve was fond of it. They spend the next hour passing the paper back and forth.

E: _Do you want me to leave you alone?_

B: _No, you’re fine. Why are you up?_

E: _Couldn’t sleep. I was going to go to the gym since I usually take a run when I can’t sleep._

B: _Don’t let me keep you from it._

E: _Nah, this is much more interesting that running on a machine and getting nowhere. It’s kinda like I’m in prison and your my pen pal. You should bake me a cake with a file in it._

B: _Hah I think I would be the one in prison._

E: _Excuse you. You don’t think I’m tough enough to be in prison?_

B: _I think, out of the two of us, I’ve done way more things to put me in prison._

E: _I’ll have you know that I’m a serial jaywalker._

The paper started getting full of their messages. Bucky had tried to convince Eve to try and get some sleep, but she was having none of it. She was slowly feeling tired as her body was finally running out of steam, but she was having too much fun. The both of them barely noticed the time ticking away as they conversed.

B: _Fine. Since you’re set on staying up, why don’t you join me out here?_

Eve stood up, her joints lightly cracking from sitting in the same position for too long, and opened the door to step out into the hallway. She gave Bucky a smug smile as he failed to convince her to go back to bed. He rolled her eyes as she sat down beside him. He didn’t know how or why she got to him, but for once, he wasn’t over thinking it. It seemed natural to the both of them, as if they were predestined to be friends. Bucky wondered if he could ever truly let her in and little did he know, Eve was wondering the same.

…

Steve got up and ready for his morning run with Sam and Bucky at around 5:00 am. He opened his door and walked into the hallway, getting ready to wake Bucky up, when he stopped suddenly. A grin broke out on his face as he took in the sight before him. Bucky and Eve were sitting in the hallway together, both fast asleep. Eve had her head leaning on Bucky’s shoulder and Bucky had his leaning on top of her head. Her arms were circled around his arm and his hand was resting on her knee.

Steve walked past them quietly, already coming up with an excuse to tell Sam for why Bucky wouldn’t be joining them today.


	4. It Never Works

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter compared to my others, so my apologizes. 
> 
> I was thinking of maybe doing requests? Like oneshots of things you guys want to read between the reader and members of the Avengers. If you guys have any suggestions or want me to write a certain plot for a oneshot (or possibly more than a oneshot), leave it down in the comments! Could be smut, fluff, angst, or a combination of the three. 
> 
> As always, feedback, comments, and kudos are always welcome and appreciated! Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Eve woke up to an ache in her neck and opened her eyes with a slight groan. She sleepily lifted her head with her mind still foggy, but froze when her gaze met with clear blue eyes. They stayed like that for a moment, faces inches from each other with shocked expressions. Eve realized quickly that she was leaning all of her weight against Bucky’s side and her arms were curled around his flesh arm. She let out a yelp and quickly withdrew herself from him, words tumbling out of her mouth.

“Oh my god! Are you okay? I’m so sorry,” She rambled, stumbling to her feet, “I – Did I hurt you?”

Bucky was just as shocked as she was, but it took his mind longer to catch up to what was happening. He couldn’t remember when he had slept that well and his body was reluctant to wake up fully. He shook his head, still sitting on the ground.

“Uh, no,” He responded after a moment, “I’m good. It’s – it’s okay.”

Eve couldn’t help the sigh of relief that left her. She leaned against the hallway’s walls and buried her face into her hands. _That could have went so wrong. I could have taken his life without even knowing it._ Her thoughts were frenzied as she tried to take deep breaths through her panic.

“Hey,” Bucky said in a soft voice, still slightly gruff from just waking up, “I’m fine, Doll.”

He had stood up as well by this point and stood awkwardly a few feet away from her. He sensed her panic and it reminded him of his own brand of panic that plagued him.

She nodded her head and finally looked up at him, giving him a weak smile, “You know, I’ve never been called Doll before,” She breathed out a laugh, “But I like it.”

Bucky felt his face warm up. He hadn’t realized he had called her that. It just sort of slipped out. He wondered if her lack of filter was contagious and the thought made him smile.

“I’m glad,” He said softly.

“I’m gonna get dressed then head down to get some breakfast before meeting with Stark in the lab,” Eve sighed and gave him a small wave goodbye before entering her apartment.

As soon as the door closed she exhaled and stretched, hoping to get rid of the aches that came with sleeping sitting up with her head bent to the side. She went into her room and changed clothes. Hopefully, her order should arrive sometime today and she wouldn’t be forced to wear Nat’s clothes anymore. But until then, she threw on black tights and a plain green sweatshirt. After taking care of her morning routine, she braided her hair to the side and slipped on her shoes. She lovingly pet Kitkat on the top of the cat’s head before stepping out of her apartment.

She half-expected Bucky to still be there, but the hallway was empty.

…

“Good morning, Eve,” Steve said a little too happily as she walked into the kitchen/dining area, “How’d you sleep?”

She narrowed her eyes at his smug smile. He was sitting at the dining table while Bucky was looking in the fridge. Bucky had changed into jeans and a well-worn black hoodie. A wistful thought of stealing the hoodie to wear for herself popped into her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. She sat upon one of the stools at the kitchen island before she decided to indulge Steve, knowing he had to have seen them in the hallway.

“I slept pretty good,” She put on a smile, “Thanks for asking, Cap.”

“Huh,” Steve breathed out, “Last time I talked to you before your morning orange juice, you kneed me in the balls. You must’ve slept really well.”

As if on cue, Bucky slid a glass full of orange juice towards Eve across the counter. A grateful smile erupted onto her face as she thanked him and took a few large gulps.

“Brave words from a man hiding behind a table across the room,” She mused after she finished the drink.

Before Steve could respond, Nat walked into the room with her gear on and her mouth set in a slight frown. Eve’s light grin diminished when she took in her friend’s posture.

“Fancy a trip to Norway?” Nat asked Steve with a frustrated sigh and Steve furrowed his brows, shifting to square his shoulders as he entered Captain mode.

“Not really,” He admitted, “But do I have a choice?”

Nat shook her head, “Weber has appeared in a small town in Norway. Odds are he has a small army guarding him.”

“Weber?” Steve repeated, standing up, “I thought he was dead.”

“Apparently not,” Nat crossed her arms.

Both Eve and Bucky watched the exchange with mild interest. Eve knew Nat was pissed at the sudden mission, but she secretly felt relief that she didn’t have to dodge another shopping trip today. Guilt ebbed within her at that realization, since this mission could go wrong…there was always a chance that even the most benign missions could end in fatalities. But she pushed those thoughts away. Eve trusted in Nat’s abilities and it wouldn’t serve anyone to worry.

“We should be back in a day,” Nat addressed Eve to which Eve nodded.

“Behave,” Steve said in a firm voice as they both walked out of the room, but there was a hint of a smile that lingered on his lips.

Eve pursed her lips and turned around to look at Bucky, “Was he talking to you or me?”

Bucky smirked while pouring himself another cup of coffee and shook his head, “I don’t think he was talking to me.”

“Hmm,” Eve hummed, drinking the last of her juice.

…

Eve reluctantly stepped through the open door of the lab after she was directed where to go by Friday. She spied Bruce sitting at a desk on one side of the large room and Tony was tinkering with something at a table on the back wall with his back facing her. He had headphones stuck into his ears, but, even from the doorway, Eve could hear faint rock music playing through them. The rest of the lab was filled with machinery and equipment that Eve couldn’t identify. She hugged her arms as a pang of nervousness washed over her. _Maybe this was a bad idea._

Bruce finally looked up and noticed her shifting her weight awkwardly at the doorway. He greeted her with a small smile and stood up from his desk. He took the pen that he was using to write and lobbed it over at Tony, who jumped at the impact on his shoulder.

“Hey Eve,” Bruce walked over to where she stood, “Thanks for meeting with us.”

Tony had pulled out his headphones, “Ah, Grim. Good, you’re here.”

“I am,” She finally settled on saying, “What…uh, is the plan?”

“We’ve been working on something for you,” Bruce answered with a pleased look on his face before adding, “Well, we didn’t know it was for you specifically, but Fury assigned us this project a while ago. He provided us with samples from you, like DNA and blood, and the results of just about every existing medical test. It wasn’t much to go on, but we finally created the first prototype.” _Do I even want to know how Fury got all those samples?_

“Prototype of…” Eve asked, her eyes shifting from one man to the other.

Tony smiled and leaned back to grab the device he was working on from the table to present it to her. It was a metal band that had a small red light on the front of it. Eve furrowed her brows as the visual didn’t answer her question.

“This collar will suppress your powers,” Tony explained, “So you could frolic among the daisies as much as you want without spreading death and decay. I could have plated it in gold, but I’m glad I didn’t. You look more like a silver girl.”

Eve narrowed her eyes. _What the hell does that mean?_

“Now,” Tony announced, ignoring the glare from Eve, “If you would kindly sit in this chair,” He hooked his leg onto a nearby metal chair and drug it over to them, making both Bruce and Eve wince at the grating noise it created, “we will test it out.”

Eve sighed and she couldn’t help the suspicion that swept over her. This was never how it went. Every time someone had a “fix” for her abilities, it was against her will and it was always in order to control her. Bruce and Tony didn’t seem like they were forcing her to do anything, but she wondered what would happen if she declined and simply walked back out of the door.

“Just…sit in the chair?” Eve repeated, her mind still mulling over her options and, in response to the confused look she received from Bruce, she elaborated, “It’s just a bit weird, you know? The other people who tried to put some sort of control over my abilities weren’t as…nice.”

Bruce gave her a small smile, “We’re nice peop –“

Tony cut him off, “We could tie you to the chair if you want. I have some paracord around here somewhere.”

Bruce shot him an annoyed look and released a long sigh.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Stark,” Eve responded automatically, her mind still whirling.

Tony cracked a smile, “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Eve gingerly sat down on the chair, trying to prepare herself for…whatever this collar might do. The small strand of hope that flickered to life inside of her was endlessly frustrating. It wasn’t going to work. Nothing ever worked, but still that hope held on. The hope of living a normal life. Of touching living things without running the risk of destroying them. _I could get a pet bunny._

“This shouldn’t hurt. If anything feels off, tell us right away,” Bruce said while attaching wires to my chest and clipping on oxygen level monitor onto her finger. A machine to the right of them starting beeping with her vitals. She nodded in response, too stuck in her head to verbally respond.

Tony gently put the collar around her neck, clipping the metal back together at the base of her neck. The metal felt cool against her skin, but otherwise she felt nothing out of the ordinary.

“Okay,” Tony said, standing before her with a small remote in his hand, “I’m turning it on in 3…2…1.”

The remote in his hand beeped lightly and the collar echoed the small noise, the light in front of it turning green. _Oh no._

Eve immediately felt a rush of life force fill her body. She was steadily drowning in it. _What the fuck? I didn’t take any life…what’s happening?_ The frantic beeping of the machines blended in with muffled concerned voices and clamoring of feet around her. Every atom of her being was ignited by the sudden rush of life within her. She felt a slight tug on the back of her neck and her arm darted out, knocking Tony to the floor.

A happiness erupted within her, a sense of purpose and belonging…and power. Black seeped into the edges of the whites of her eyes, spreading slowly like ink across paper. Another tug at her neck reminded her of the living beings in the room with her and a sickening smile spread across her face. _Kill them. Get more life. MORE. You can hold more. Think of how powerful you could be._

_No!_ The rational part of her mind screamed, fighting in vain against the influence of the life inside her. She heard a scream cut through the muddled noises around her and it took her a moment to realize that it was coming from her mouth. _Please…please no._ She felt her resistance wane as strong arms suddenly enveloped her, causing a moment of near clarity.

“Doll,” A voice said, “It’s okay. You’re safe. Calm down, Doll.”

A last sharp tug on the collar freed her from its effects and she slumped into Bucky’s arms. The screaming that streamed out of her lips finally halted and the darkness that was creeping over her eyes receded. Tears fell freely down her face and she struggled to get air into her lungs in between her sobs. _Too close._ Her limbs clung to Bucky as exhaustion took over.

_Nothing ever works._

…

“What the fuck did you do to her?” Bucky demanded the second he saw Tony stroll into the kitchen. He had carried Eve to her room and laid her down on her bed after Bruce assured him that she was simply sleeping.

“Oh, so you do have interests,” Tony remarked, pouring him a glass of whiskey, “And here I thought you were boring.”

Bucky’s jaw ticked and was about to respond when Bruce walked into the room as well, looking like a combination of tired and frustrated.

“It didn’t work,” Bruce sighed as Tony got out a glass for him as well, “The collar we designed was supposed to be noninvasive. But it…went wrong.”

“Why were you even at the labs?” Tony questioned Bucky with an arched eyebrow.

Bucky looked away, “Heard her screams. Figured something went wrong.”

At this point, Bucky would normally walk away, not wanting to press the issue. But he couldn’t help the spiral of questions that littered his mind.

After a moment, he added, “How was it supposed to work?”

Bruce set down his glass with a soft clink, “It uses electromagnetic radiation and small doses of beta rays to alter the…” He trailed off when he noticed the slightly lost look in Bucky’s eyes and started over, “It basically tricks her body into thinking that she’s at capacity for extra life force. In theory, if she was already full of extra life, she wouldn’t automatically – or accidentally in other words – take life. That was phase one; to prevent her from accidentally causing harm. Phase two was going to expand on phase one and suppress her powers altogether.”

Bucky sighed as the two men started talking together about fixing the collar. Eve’s screams still echoed in his mind and he chewed on his lip in thought. He figured that she would be pretty upset when she woke up. He went to walk out of the room when his eyes flitted over to the dining table and landed on a folded-up newspaper that was laying on it. A small smirk played on his lips as he grabbed the newspaper and went to find a marker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Steve because he's probably the only reason why newspapers are delivered to the tower. I like to think he likes being an old man by reading printed news and solving the crossword puzzles.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Stay healthy and safe!


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